Gary Brecka's Grounding Recommendations: What He Uses and Why

Gary Brecka is one of the most recognised voices in applied human biology and biohacking. As co-founder of the 10X Health System and a former life insurance underwriter who used biomarker data to predict human lifespan, Brecka approaches health optimization from a data-first perspective. He gained mainstream attention through his work with UFC president Dana White — helping White reverse serious health markers through targeted lifestyle interventions.

Among the protocols Brecka consistently advocates in interviews and on social media is grounding, also called earthing. His recommendation carries weight not because of celebrity status, but because of how he contextualises it: as a tool for reducing systemic inflammation, improving sleep quality, and optimising recovery — all areas where the underlying research is substantive.

This article covers what Brecka has said publicly about grounding, the science behind his reasoning, and how to choose the right grounding product if you want to implement the same practice.

What Has Gary Brecka Said About Grounding?

Gary Brecka has discussed grounding across multiple podcast appearances, social media posts, and interviews. His core position is consistent: disconnecting from the earth — spending most of our lives on insulated floors, in rubber-soled shoes, away from direct contact with the ground — has measurable physiological consequences that grounding can help address.

Several themes appear repeatedly in his public statements:

It is worth being clear about what this means: Brecka recommends grounding as a practice and recommends grounding products as tools for implementing it. He has not publicly endorsed any specific brand of grounding product. The value of his recommendation is in the protocol itself and the reasoning behind it.

Why Biohackers Like Brecka Recommend Grounding

The biohacking community does not adopt practices without scrutiny. When figures like Brecka recommend grounding, they are drawing on a body of peer-reviewed research that goes back over two decades. Here is what the studies actually show.

Blood Viscosity and Circulation

One of the most striking findings in grounding research relates to blood viscosity — the thickness and flow properties of blood. A 2013 study by Chevalier et al. published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that grounding significantly reduced blood viscosity and red blood cell aggregation (clumping). In practical terms, thinner blood that flows more freely reduces the workload on the cardiovascular system and supports faster delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissue.

This is why grounding shows up in recovery protocols for endurance athletes and anyone dealing with inflammation-driven circulatory issues. The mechanism is straightforward: the earth's surface carries a negative electrical charge, and contact with it allows free electrons to transfer into the body, where they can affect the zeta potential (surface charge) of red blood cells, causing them to repel each other and reduce clumping.

Cortisol Normalisation

A 2004 study by Ghaly and Teplitz, also published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, examined the effects of grounding during sleep on cortisol levels. The researchers found that grounding normalised the diurnal cortisol profile in participants — meaning it helped restore the natural pattern of cortisol rising in the morning and declining through the day.

For people whose cortisol rhythm is disrupted — which is common in high-performance, high-stress lifestyles — this normalisation has significant downstream effects on sleep quality, energy, mood, and immune function. Participants in the study also reported improvements in sleep duration, sleep quality, pain, and stress levels.

This is the mechanism behind Brecka's emphasis on overnight grounding specifically. Eight hours of continuous earth connection during sleep is the most practical way to achieve consistent, meaningful grounding exposure.

Inflammation Reduction

A 2015 review by Oschman, Chevalier, and Brown in the Journal of Inflammation Research synthesised the available evidence on grounding and inflammation. The review proposed that the influx of free electrons through grounding acts as a natural antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress and dampening inflammatory signalling pathways.

The reviewers documented case studies and experimental findings showing reductions in markers of inflammation following grounding interventions, along with accelerated wound healing and pain reduction. The proposed mechanism — that the earth's surface electron potential can directly influence the body's inflammatory status — is consistent with what Brecka describes when he talks about reconnecting to the earth as a biological reset.

The Evolutionary Argument

Brecka and others in the biohacking space frequently frame grounding through an evolutionary lens: for most of human history, we were in near-constant contact with the earth's surface. Bare feet on soil, sleeping on the ground, working outdoors — all of these maintained a continuous electrical connection that modern life has severed. Rubber-soled shoes, elevated beds, insulated flooring, and urban environments mean many people go days or weeks without any direct earth contact.

The hypothesis is that this disconnection is not biologically neutral — that the body has an expectation of regular earth contact built into its physiology, and that grounding restores a baseline that modern infrastructure has removed. Whether or not one finds the evolutionary framing compelling, the experimental findings stand independently of it.

Other Health Influencers Who Recommend Grounding

Gary Brecka is not alone among high-profile health figures in advocating for grounding. Several other prominent voices in the wellness and biohacking space have discussed it publicly.

The consistent thread across these figures is not brand advocacy — it is the underlying practice. Grounding outdoors when possible, and using indoor grounding tools when consistent outdoor access is not realistic.

How to Start Grounding Based on Expert Recommendations

If you want to implement grounding the way practitioners like Brecka describe, the approach is straightforward. The goal is to maximise consistent daily exposure, which means making grounding convenient enough that it happens automatically rather than requiring active effort.

Outdoor Grounding

The most direct form. Bare feet on grass, soil, sand, or unpainted concrete for at least 20 to 30 minutes daily. Morning grounding — which aligns sun exposure with earth contact — is particularly recommended for circadian benefits. The limitation is practical: weather, urban living, and schedules make daily outdoor grounding unreliable for most people.

Overnight Grounding with a Grounding Sheet

This is the approach Brecka and other practitioners highlight for consistent, high-dose grounding exposure. A grounding sheet sits on your bed and connects to the grounding pin of a standard electrical outlet via a grounding cord. No electricity flows through the connection — only the earth's ground potential. While you sleep, your body maintains an electrical connection to the earth for the full duration of your sleep cycle.

Eight hours of overnight grounding every night adds up to significantly more earth contact than most people could achieve outdoors. It also eliminates the weather and schedule variables that make outdoor grounding inconsistent.

Desk and Seated Grounding with a Mat

A grounding mat placed under your feet or on your desk under your forearms provides grounding during working hours. This is particularly practical for people who work from home or spend long hours at a desk. It is a lower-dose exposure than overnight grounding but adds meaningful cumulative earth contact throughout the day.

Verification

A basic continuity test with a multimeter, or a dedicated socket tester, will confirm that your outlet's grounding pin is functional before connecting any grounding product. Socket testers are available separately and take under a minute to use. Do not assume the grounding pin in your outlet is connected — verify it.

What to Look for in a Grounding Product

Not all grounding products are made equal. The market includes a wide range of materials, construction methods, and quality levels. If you are investing in grounding as a long-term practice, these are the factors that actually matter.

Material: Stainless Steel Over Silver

Silver grounding products are common, but stainless steel is the more practical long-term choice for bedding applications. Silver oxidises — it tarnishes when exposed to sweat, body oils, and air, forming a surface layer that reduces conductivity over time. A silver grounding sheet that tests as highly conductive when new can degrade significantly within 6 to 12 months of regular use.

Stainless steel does not oxidise under normal use conditions. Its conductivity remains consistent over years of regular washing and nightly use. For a product you are relying on every night, consistent long-term performance matters more than peak initial conductivity.

Premium Grounding sheets use 30% stainless steel fibres woven through a cotton base — a composition tested to provide sufficient conductivity while maintaining the feel of quality bedding.

Works Through a Fitted Sheet

Silver and copper grounding sheets typically require direct skin contact to function effectively — the conductivity is not sufficient to penetrate additional fabric layers. This means sleeping directly on the conductive material, which limits how you can use your existing bedding.

A high-quality stainless steel grounding sheet with sufficient fibre content can work through a standard fitted sheet. You place the grounding sheet underneath your fitted sheet, connect the grounding cord, and sleep normally. No changes to your bedding setup, no requirement for skin contact. This matters for long-term consistency: if grounding requires changing how you sleep, the practice is harder to maintain.

Built-in Safety Resistor

Any grounding product connected to a wall outlet should include a built-in resistor on the grounding cord. This limits the current that could flow in the highly unlikely event of an electrical fault. It is a basic safety feature that quality manufacturers include as standard. If a product does not mention a built-in resistor or safety cord, that is worth noting.

Flat Sheet vs Fitted Sheet Design

Premium Grounding sheets are flat sheets, not fitted. They sit beneath your existing fitted sheet and connect to the grounding cord from there. This design means no elasticated edges under mechanical stress from washing, better coverage of the sleep surface, and easier integration into any bed setup.

Explore the full range of Premium Grounding products, including the stainless steel grounding sheet and the grounding mat, both designed for consistent, long-term daily use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Gary Brecka endorse a specific grounding mat or sheet brand?

Gary Brecka has recommended grounding as a practice and referenced grounding mats and sheets as indoor tools for implementing it. Based on his publicly available statements, he has not affiliated with or endorsed a specific brand of grounding product. His recommendation is for the practice itself — using a quality grounding mat or sheet as part of a sleep and recovery protocol.

What does Ben Greenfield say about grounding mats?

Ben Greenfield has discussed grounding mats and sheets extensively across his podcast and writing. He recommends indoor grounding products as a way to maintain consistent earth contact for people who cannot ground outdoors daily. He cites the peer-reviewed research on blood viscosity, inflammation, and cortisol normalisation as the scientific rationale, and considers overnight grounding via a grounding sheet particularly valuable for sleep quality.

Is there actual science behind what Brecka recommends, or is grounding pseudoscience?

Grounding has been studied in peer-reviewed research. Published studies include Chevalier et al. (2013) on blood viscosity, Ghaly and Teplitz (2004) on cortisol normalisation during sleep, and Oschman et al. (2015) on inflammation — all published in indexed medical journals. The research base is not as large as that for established medical interventions, but it is real and the proposed mechanisms are biologically coherent. The practitioners who recommend grounding are drawing on this literature, not on anecdote alone.

What is the difference between a grounding mat and a grounding sheet?

A grounding mat is typically a smaller conductive surface — used under your feet at a desk, on a yoga mat, or in other targeted applications. A grounding sheet is designed for bed use and covers the full sleep surface, enabling overnight grounding for 6 to 8 hours. Both connect to the grounding pin of a standard wall outlet via a grounding cord. For consistent high-dose grounding exposure, a sheet is generally more effective because of the duration of contact it provides during sleep.

How do I know if my outlet's ground connection is working?

Use a socket tester before connecting any grounding product. Socket testers are simple plug-in devices that indicate within seconds whether the ground pin in your outlet is connected and functioning correctly. They are available separately and are a recommended first step before using any grounding product. Do not assume the grounding pin is live — particularly in older homes, not all outlets are properly grounded.

Can I use a grounding sheet if I prefer sleeping under a top sheet?

Yes, if the grounding sheet has sufficient conductive fibre content. Premium Grounding sheets are made with 30% stainless steel fibres — enough conductivity for the earthing effect to work through a standard fitted sheet placed on top of the grounding sheet. You do not need skin contact with the conductive material. You sleep exactly as you normally would, with your own fitted sheet and bedding, and the grounding connection remains active through the layers.

How long does it take to notice benefits from grounding?

Research timelines vary by outcome. Some participants in grounding studies report changes in sleep quality and pain levels within the first week of nightly grounding. The cortisol normalisation data from Ghaly and Teplitz showed measurable changes over a period of several weeks of consistent grounding. Most practitioners, including Brecka, frame grounding as a long-term practice rather than a single-use intervention — the cumulative effects of consistent daily contact are what drives the results.

For more on what the research shows, read our overview of grounding and sleep quality, or explore how to verify your products are working correctly with our grounding product testing guide.